A series of nude photos of 1950s Hollywood pin-up Bettie Page are to be unveiled in a new film biography.

Mark Mori unearthed a treasure trove of unpublished shots of the beauty fully naked while researching new documentary Bettie Page Reveals All after learning that amateur photographer DICk Heinlein had captured the images as part of a 'camera club' outing to Westchester, New York in the early 1950s - before shooting nude models became legal.

The photo set was raided by local police, who arrested the snappers and models for disorderly conduct and indecent exposure, but Heinlein hid away his film roll before cops could confiscate it.

In the documentary, the photographer recalls, "Nudity back then was very unusual. Out of the woods, here comes this squad car! They had their guns drawn on a bunch of photographers (ordering us), 'Take the film out of your cameras!'"

Heinlein filed the pictures away for years - until agreeing to open up his archives for Mori, reports the New York Post.